


to things unnoticed

by nigou (pumyra)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Backstory, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-06 14:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/736877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumyra/pseuds/nigou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>—Nigou remembers a time before Tetsuya</p>
            </blockquote>





	to things unnoticed

**written for:**  basketballpoetsociety,  _challenge #11—backstory_ ****  
 **title:**  to things unnoticed, once again  
 **summary:**  —Nigou remembers a time before Tetsuya  
 **disclaimer:**  Kuroko no Basuke © Tadatoshi Fujimaki  
 **note:**  i’m full of trepidation.  
————————————————————————

犬

Nigou remembers a time before Tetsuya, his master. A time before warmth and kindness and love and treats and small smiles. But he is quickly forgetting because this new life is better than anything before.

.

.

.

It is dark he cries out. He hears others cry out—his brothers and sisters. He shuffles around to find the warmth of his mother. He cannot see. It is dark. But he can smell and hear fine enough to find his mother and his mother’s milk. There is a lot of pushing from his brothers and his sisters. He is the last to feed. His brothers are bigger than him an so are his sisters. It’s fine though, he doesn’t mind waiting.

After they are done his mother gives them all a lick on top of their small heads, they huddle closer to her and each other. Except for him, he is last and small and it is cold. His mother brings him closer to her. He loves his mother already. She is warm.

He sighs and falls asleep along with his brothers and sisters.

:

He can see now. They can all see. His brothers and sisters push him around. There use to be more of them but a few died. It is now him, two brother and two sisters. Five in all. He’s sure if there had been more he would have been pushed around even more.

He is small and weak compared to his brothers and sisters. He hides behind his mother when they decided to gang up on him while they play. He doesn’t like to play, doesn’t like their rough games. He turns away from then and follows his mother. She is kind and beautiful  Sometimes though, she pushes him out to play. She says he needs to learn to be on his own. He doesn’t understand. But he is obedient and he will listen to his mother.

:

Their master is not a nice man. He isn’t cruel, he takes care of them but he is not very nice. He is nice to his mother but not nice to him and his brothers and sisters.

He takes then away from her. And puts them in a box. 

The master does not listen. They all whine and cry and howl to ask for Mother but he does not listen. 

Can he not hear them?

Mother had said humans did not have as good of ears as them. They could not hear as well as dogs. But he hadn’t thought they’d be deaf!

There is a lot of jostling in the box and then everything is still.

His brothers and sisters are asleep. He is not. He howls again. He cannot hear the master telling them to quiet down anymore. He pushes at the opening of the box. It opens easily. He looks around. It is dark, night, the moon overhead. He whines sadly.

Master is not there. Mother is not there.

He pulls the flaps of the box back down.

The night is scary without Mother. He curls up with his brothers and sisters, they do not push him away anymore, and he falls asleep.

:

When they all wake up the sun is shining.

They poke their head out of the box. They watch people walk by them. Some of them stop long enough to pet them before going off. They cry when they leave but do not follow. The box is safe.

Many people pass by them and then there is a little boy with his mother. He goes to them, plays with them, until his mother pulls him away. He stares up at her imploringly, says something  and then looks back down at the box to one of his brothers. The mother sighs but smiles and nods. She is kind.

The boy picks up his brother. His brother has a handsome coat, black and sleek, he is not surprised the little boy chose him over him and his other brother and sisters.

His brother wags his tail.

He looks back at them with shining eyes.

It is the last time they see him. And that is a good thing. The little boy looks like a kind master.

:

His sisters leave next. 

Two school-girls come by, coo and cuddle them, before taking them.

His sisters were pretty. He understands why they would be the next to have masters. His brother and him feel lonely. 

The box is a little colder with only two of them. Neither of then know how long they’ve been in the box. People feed them ad give them water sometimes. The sun has come up and down at least five times.

His brother whines against him and he wags his tail, bumping into him to cheer him up. It seems to work.

They fall asleep with the full moon over head.

:

His brother leaves the next day.

He understands that too. His brother has two different colored eyes. One is amber, the other is blue. It is very cool.

It is a high-school boy with kind eyes. He gives a sad look at only being able to take one.

He pats him on last time before leaving with his brother.

He is not sad. His brother finally has a master. His master will also come along soon enough. He does not worry. He wags his tail.

:

It seems, that no one will look at him. Can they not see him? Are they blind? Is he too small to be noticed?

He is afraid the only reason people used to stop by were for his brothers and sisters. Whose antics were fun to watch. He has never been one for antics. Maybe he should be.

He whines, tucks his tail in, and curls up.

Since no one can see him. Since no one will take him. Since no one will give him a home. Since he can’t be seen then it’s fine if he sleeps.

He should have had more presence then maybe he would have had a master as well.

He falls asleep. 

It’s cold in the box and the night is scary.

:

One day a boy passes by him.

He does not notice immediately. No one else seems to notice the boy. But he notices.

Then the boy comes near him. He holds back a whine. Maybe…just maybe, this boy will notice him here. This boy will notice him unlike the others.

He can’t help wagging his tail.

The boy comes closer.

And then—

He’s gone.

Like a leaf in the wind. Like he was never there to begin with.

He curls up into himself.

He should stop hoping.

:

He wakes up to the smell of something nice. He opens his eyes blearily  Before yipping and jumping and wagging his tail.

The boy! They boy! The boy! The boy is back!

He saw him! Finally, somebody sees him. He’d been so lonely and forgotten.

He licks at the boy’s fingers in happiness.

_Thank you, thank you, thank you for noticing me._

He’s never felt this happy.

He scarfs down the food the boy gave him, it smells delicious and he hasn’t eaten in so long. He drinks the water the boy gives him rapidly, lapping at it, it soothes his parched throat. He’d been so thirsty.

When he is finished he licks at the boy’s hand before head-butting it. He wants to be petted. To know that the boy is real.

The boy smiles at him. It is a small smile, an unnoticeable smile, subtle and kind. But he notices it. It makes him feel warm and want to burst win happiness.

He cries out, howls, his happiness. His tail thumping loudly against the box.

And then he’s being picked up, box and all.

“Would you like to come with me?”

His voice is soft and kind. 

He barks and wags his tail. He might not really know what he is saying but his voice is kind and he likes it.

The boy smiles and nods.

The rest is history.

:

The boy takes him to a place where there are many other boys and a girl that coos over him. He is happy with all this attention.

They notice him and they love him.

Except for one, a boy with red hair who cowers whenever he comes near.

But even so, he’s sure the boy likes him at least. He’d helped him out once so how could he not?

Well, it doesn’t really matter all that much.

He is happy.

He has a master. He has a name.

Tetsuya #2. Nigou.

A name is important. His mother had a name but he’s forgotten what it is already. A name means they love him. He is loved.

.

.

.

Nigou remembers a time before Tetsuya. It is not very happy and it is not very sad. It just is.

He remember not being noticed. He remembers being lonely.

He is quickly forgetting though.

Because he is seen. Because he is heard. Because he is loved. Because there are many kind people surrounding him.

Because Tetsuya is the only thing that matters to him. His master Tetsuya with his kind and subtle smiles, with his warm hand. Nigou loves Tetsuya and Tetsuya loves him.

He wags his tail, sighs contently, and falls asleep next to Tetsuya.

He is happy. Tetsuya is here.

**Author's Note:**

>  **(a/n):** pardon any mistakes  (and there are mistakes because i don't think i got all of them...) i apologize for any inaccuracies. and forgive me for me not thinking of a better title, i suck with titles......


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